Last-ditch effort by Chirag Untied Kerala

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Coach Nizam Packeer Ali will have a tough time ahead in the I-League, as his team, Chirag United Kerala, has lost four matches of the five played so far.

He and his players are desperate for a win and will be employing whatever tactics they have to win the next game against Pailan Arrows on November 24. What gives hope to the Kerala side is that Pailan Arrows have not won a match so far in the league.

Also, Chirag’s two best players, Ghanaian defender Charles Dzisah and captain Ajayan will be returning to the squad after their one-match suspension.

“The team is heavily relying on the two players and we cannot think of a match without them. It was proved in the last game against Sporting Clube de Goa, which we lost for 2-0,” says Nizam Packeer Ali.

“As of now, we have one more striker Anil but it will take a couple of games for him to jell with the team. The situation in the team is extremely different that of his club Dempo. Here we have a bunch of youngsters, while Dempo has some of the most experienced players in the country,” he said.

“We need Anil to practise with the team more. However, he did his best in the last match against Sporting Clube de Goa,” he pointed out.

However, Ali is disappointed with the performance of his team in the last game. “It was their worst show in the league so far. It was disappointing and the players also do not want to repeat it,” he said.
“We were not able to penetrate defence and the match was confined to the midfield. The players also made silly mistakes, which the Sporting strikers utilized effectively,” he said.

The absence of Charles was a great disadvantage as other defenders failed to contain the high balls from Sporting. “Sporting forwards were able to lurk in our post whenever they got the opportunity. We are not able to afford the loss of Charles in the match,” he said.

Besides, he thinks that most of the I-league teams have received ample time to practise.

“The change of players in the middle of the season is a major problem. We should have started training at least two months ago with the players. I was appointed just one week before the I-league. Anyway, the boys are learning a lot, especially from their own mistakes. Hope they will not repeat them,” said coach Ali.